The November 8th General Election results have officially been certified by the Alaska Division of Elections. Official results were announced on December 1st after a canvassing by the Alaska State Review Board.

321,271 ballots were counted in the 2016 General Election, making for a 60.77% voter turnout this year.

The Division of Elections reports a record number of early, absentee, and questioned ballots this year – 123,000 versus 90,000 in 2014. Division Director Josie Bahnke estimates 32% of Alaskans utilized alternate methods to get their vote in this year, and she expects that trend to continue into the future.

On the local level, nearly eleven-thousand people are registered to vote in District 39, with roughly half turning up at the polls this year. Certified results in District 39 for the presidential race show Hillary Clinton receiving 3,137 votes over Donald Trump, who took 1,402. In the House and Senate races, Lisa Murkowski and Don Young took District 39. Murkowski had 3,260 votes, more than double the total of opponent Joe Miller at 1,244. Young received 3,190 votes, Steve Lindbeck 1,887. Senator Donny Olson and Representative Neal Foster both ran unopposed. 176 write-ins went against Olson, while 164 write-ins opposed Foster.

In a release, Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott thanked Division of Election employees for their work counting an estimated 100,000 early and absentee ballots on election night and in the following required fifteen days after the election.

Bahnke also expressed her gratitude for the collaborative efforts at the state, regional and local levels.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/12/06/alaska-division-of-elections-certifies-november-8th-election-results/feed/026585Alaska’s 2015 PFD is $2,072http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/09/21/alaskas-2015-pfd-is-2072/
Mon, 21 Sep 2015 21:57:55 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=18549Now valued at more than $50 billion, the annual PFD payout is based on an average of the interest earned on the fund's past five years of investments.]]>

Eligible Alaskans will receive $2,072 for the 2015 Permanent Fund Dividend, the largest payout in the fund’s history.

The payout surpasses the $2,000 mark for only the second time in the fund’s more than 30-year history, and is almost 200 dollars more than last year’s $1,884 dividend.

Governor Bill Walker, moments before 12-year-old Wasilla student Shania Sommer officially unveiled the PFD amount, said this year’s dividend is remarkable for another reason: it comes at a time when Alaska’s state government faces billion-dollar deficits.

“We’re in a very unique situation this year,” Walker said before the big announcement.

“It’s the first time in Alaska’s history that the earnings from the Permanent Fund have exceeded the earnings from oil. This payout will be higher than the cost of education in Alaska, K-12 … so we’re in a bit of dilemma this year, given that with the price of oil, half our income went away, and we’re in about a $3 billion deficit.”

The governor said that the irony is seeing the state paying out more than a billion dollars to the roughly 630,000 eligible PFD applicants, at a time when budget cuts have laid off firefighters in McGrath, canceled ferry service in the southeast, and mothballed large infrastructure projects statewide.

Walker said he’ll go to the legislature this year with a plan for balancing Alaska’s budget. But Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott—himself a former trustee and executive director of the Permanent Fund Dividend Corporation, which overseas the fund’s investments—described the account as Alaska’s “rainy day” fund.

That rainy day, Mallott said, may have come.

“The Permanent Fund was created to take some portion of Alaska’s one-time revenues at the start of Prudhoe Bay, and put those revenues into a status, into an account, into a fund … The clarity of those who founded the fund, that ultimately the purpose of the fund was to help meet Alaska’s fiscal needs, its state revenue needs, when the rainy day occurred, when we needed to begin replacing non-renewable oil wealth with renewable financial wealth, that time is now.”

Without adjusting for inflation, this year’s PFD payout of $2,072 is the largest in the fund’s history. In 2008, under Gov. Sarah Palin, the state announced a $2,069 PFD, which came with an additional $1,200 “resource rebate.”

The Alaska PFD has been given out every year since 1982. The first PFD was an even $1,000. When adjusted for inflation the 1-thousand dollars in 1982 works out to nearly $2,470 in 2015 dollars.

Alaska voters established the Permanent Fund in 1976 through a constitutional amendment. A few years later the dividend fund was established, with equal payouts set for all Alaska residents for a “share in a portion of the State minerals revenue.”

Now valued at more than $50 billion, the PFD payout is based on an average of the interest earned on the fund’s past five years of investments.

]]>18549Lt. Gov. Mallott taps Nome City Manager Bahnke for Top Elections Jobhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/07/28/lt-gov-mallott-taps-nome-city-manager-bahnke-for-top-elections-job/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/07/28/lt-gov-mallott-taps-nome-city-manager-bahnke-for-top-elections-job/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 15:55:59 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=17554Josie Bahnke will lead Alaska’s Division of Elections after Lt. Governor Byron Mallot asked for the resignation of current Elections head Gail Fenumiai.]]>

Nome City Manager Josie Bahnke will take over as the head of Alaska’s Division of Elections, after Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott asked for and received the resignation of current Elections head Gail Fenumiai.

The Walker-Mallott administration was Fenumiai’s third as head of the state Division of Elections.

“There’s nothing personal in the request,” said Claire Richardson, a spokesperson with Mallott’s office. “The lieutenant governor would like to move in some new directions with the Division of Elections, and it was felt that it was time for different leadership.”

A veteran election official, Fenumiai has been director of elections since 2008, and has 10 years of earlier experience in the division. She didn’t return calls for comment Monday.

Lisa Phu with KTOO in Juneau reports Richardson says the lieutenant governor has not worked closely with Fenumiai since he and Governor Bill Walker took office—but she said Mallott and Fenumiai have had several meetings about the Toyukak v. Mallott case, which is now in settlement negotiations related to language assistance and other related issues.

A federal judge ruled last year the state doesn’t do enough to serve voters who speak Alaska’s several Native languages.

Richardson said there was no particular issue that led to the request for Fenumiai’s resignation, but she added it’s the prerogative of the administration to bring in new people. That means being customer-service-oriented and “the ability for Alaskans to register and vote,” according to Richardson.

Born and raised in Nome, Bahnke said she was contacted by the lieutenant governor’s office sometime in the past month and has been going through a vetting process. She said it’ll be hard to leave her job, and Nome.

“I did let the governor know, I love my job, I love Nome,” she said Monday. “But I think our philosophies are aligned, and so, I feel very honored to be asked to be a part of this administration.”

Prior to her city manager role, Bahnke was a local government specialist in the Bering Strait region and also worked as Kawerak’s program director. She has a master’s degree in public administration from Portland State University and a bachelor’s in political science from Fort Hays State University in Kansas.

“For the past 15 years working with tribal, state and local government and my management experience will help greatly in my new job,” Bahnke said.

Her time as City Manager kept her distanced from local election, with Bahnke admitting “this is going to be a steep learning curve for me, but like any challenge, I’m up for it.”

Bahnke plans to travel to regional election offices at the end of August.

State campaign finance disclosures show Bahnke contributed $500 to Bill Walker’s gubernatorial campaign, and after he merged his ticket with Mallott’s Democratic-affiliated run, she gave another $200 to the combined ticket. When asked about the donation Monday, she said she was enthusiastic about Walker’s campaign but had no comment on the donations.

The Division of Elections is the only division under the lieutenant governor’s office. Mallott is in Canada this week and could not be reached for comment.

KTOO’s Lisa Phu contributed to this story.

Editor’s note: a version of this story appeared online referencing former Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell in the Toyukak v. Mallott case; the earlier version also misspelled Mallott spokesperson Claire Richardson’s name. The above text reflects the corrections.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/07/28/lt-gov-mallott-taps-nome-city-manager-bahnke-for-top-elections-job/feed/417554In Kivalina, Interior Secretary Jewell Hears “Real Stories” from Community Living with Climate Changehttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/02/17/in-kivalina-interior-secretary-jewell-hears-real-stories-from-community-living-with-climate-change/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/02/17/in-kivalina-interior-secretary-jewell-hears-real-stories-from-community-living-with-climate-change/#commentsTue, 17 Feb 2015 20:41:50 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=14491Jewell was in Kivalina Monday to hear what residents say are their concerns as erosion linked to climate change and rising sea levels threatens their way of life—and the very island the community is built upon.]]>http://www.knom.org/wp-audio/2015/02/2015-02-17-Jewell-in-Kivalina.mp3

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell was in the northwest coast community of Kivalina Monday, to hear what residents say are their concerns as erosion linked to climate change and rising sea levels threatens their subsistence way of life—and the very island the community is built upon.

Jewell was invited by the Alaska Federation of Natives to speak at their retreat in Kotzebue, an invitation that drew state lawmakers—including Governor Bill Walker and Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott—to northwest Alaska to confront the secretary on recent federal decisions they say will limit oil and gas development on federal lands and waters across the state, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore oil exploration in the Chukchi Sea.

Jewell planned a trip of her own, to nearby Kivalina, about an hour’s flight from the Kotzebue hub. She planned to tour the village and meet with residents, to hear firsthand their concerns on a changing climate and a warming Arctic. Residents like Becky Norton, who has lived in Kivalina all her life, and has seen what erosion has done to the small community on a barrier island between the Chuckchi Sea and the Kivalina Lagoon.

“My husband built a cabin, with family, a two-story cabin about eight miles upriver,” she said, walking into town from the airstrip Monday afternoon. The wind was still and temperatures hovered around 20ºF. Norton said her family built their cabin “about 30 feet away from the bank. And the bank, where we are, it’s pretty high. When we park, we have to climb up and walk to our cabin.”

She said the cabin was used for years, a summer subsistence camp for her kids and her 22 grandkids.

All told, the school and road could cost upwards of $120 million. Solving the erosion issue, and possibly relocating the entire village, could cost millions more.

Jewell listened, made introductions, and posed for photos before hopping in the back of a pickup truck for a tour of the village with tribal president Millie Hawley.

“This is the home that was in danger of falling into the lagoon, until they put the rock revetments,” Hawley said.

“They put that on the outskirts, there?” Jewell asked, motioning to what appeared to be a pile of snow along both sides of the house.

“You can’t see it now, because it’s all covered with snow,” Hawley said, adding that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installed the revetments.

Further along the tour, the truck slowed along the side of the island that borders the Chukchi sea. In the distance, seal hunters were on the hunt and poised on the ice. “We used to be able to get fish out here,” Hawley said, “but we haven’t gotten fish for four years,” she said mostly due to ice conditions. When Jewell asked why, Hawley explained a “late start” to the annual ice now freezes to the bottom of the lagoon, “which stays until the fish have already migrated out to the ocean.”

Jewell’s tour ended at the airstrip, not far from the plane that would take her back to Kotzebue. Before she left, she saw the charred remains of the community’s only store, which burned down in December; the homes sinking, and sometimes falling, into the Chukchi Sea and lagoon; the brown tundra and jumbled ice that looked more like breakup than mid-February, which can often make caribou herds inaccessible.

Her time in Kivalina was brief, with every minute scheduled to keep her busy until her departure. But Jewell said it was worth the effort to see things firsthand.

“It’s hard to understand the impact in the abstract. When you see it up close, you really get a much better feel for the passion, the fear, the importance to culture and lifestyle that’s all at risk here,” Jewell said. “Not to mention just their lives, which are at risk on a little spit like this.”

When asked what she’ll bring back to Washington from her visit to Kivalina, Jewell said what she takes back will be “very real stories, stories from people who have personally experienced this change.”

A new school, erosion mitigation efforts the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has already laid out, and more—all things Jewell said need to be part of the discussion when she returns to Washington. But concrete next steps remained elusive.

“I think the most important part is just trying to understand, what are the various moving pieces and prats that we can in fact influence,” she said. The new school is a state responsibility, Jewell said, adding that the Corps of Engineers should continue with projects already undertaken in Kivalina. “I don’t know what those [next] steps are going to be yet, until I go back and learn more about who’s involved. But what I do know is the situation out here is very serious, and it’s indicative of the kind of impacts we’re seeing in climate change everywhere, that this is probably the beginning of what may be to come in other areas.”

Tribal president Hawley said the secretary’s visit was brief, but in the end, she thought it was a success.

“I feel like we’ve done the job,” she said after the truckbed tour. “That was the main purpose, and we’ve done a good job with that, the village has done a good job with that.”

As for Becky Norton, whose family cabin fell into the river last summer, she said just how good of a job will be determined by what Jewell does next.

“It all depends on how she takes it, and pass it on to wherever it needs to go, to get us help,” she said. “And that’s all we need, is help. To continue with our evacuation road, relocation, and get our school built.”

Addressing Governor Bill Walker, and the host of other lawmakers who came to northwest Alaska to meet with Jewell, Norton said finding money for the community’s new school and road could happen if they want it.

“It’s priorities,” she said. “And our priority is the safety of our people. We can’t put a price tag on our family, on our kids. So we have to work hard to try and find solutions to protect them.”

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2015/02/17/in-kivalina-interior-secretary-jewell-hears-real-stories-from-community-living-with-climate-change/feed/114491Nome Lays Out Juneau Priorities as Oil Prices Paint Grim Financial Picturehttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/12/05/nome-lays-out-juneau-priorities-as-oil-prices-paint-grim-financial-picture/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/12/05/nome-lays-out-juneau-priorities-as-oil-prices-paint-grim-financial-picture/#commentsFri, 05 Dec 2014 16:57:16 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=13361The city's top priority is continuing with ongoing water and sewer upgrades, but even modest projects are uncertain in the face of a potential $3 billion deficit due to falling oil prices.]]>

The City of Nome has set its legislative priorities for the coming year, and facing a bleak financial situation in Juneau, the goals for the city, the school district, and the utility are all deliberately modest.

In a public session with state Senator Donny Olson and Representative Neal Foster last week, the city laid out its four biggest priorities for the coming year. At the top of the list is a $4.3 million request for continued water and sewer upgrades. Nome Joint Utility Manager John Handeland says he also supports growing the Power Cost Equalization program, which for nearly 30 years has helped offset the high cost of electricity in rural areas.

Though he said the bulk of money should go toward replacing Nome’s aging sewer infrastructure, Handeland said he “still support[s] the expansion of eligibility and cap of PCE. I know that’s something that’s been worked on … [and] doesn’t meet with approval from the folks in bigger communities, but nonetheless I think it’s something we should continue to advocate for.”

Emphasizing “shovel ready” projects, the city is also putting at the top of its list a $3 million series of road improvement projects in a partnering with Nome Eskimo Community. The improvements would cover M Street and L Street, as well as 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Avenues.

The city is also seeking state funds—as Nome Eskimo seeks federal funds—to secure a new $600,000 pumper truck for the Nome Volunteer Fire Department. Last, the city is pushing at both the federal and state level for roughly $500,000 to extend and repair Nome’s seawall, a project they city has been seeking for the past two years.

The school district’s own list includes just over $1 million three housekeeping projects, including repaying the district for lighting replacement and the new gym floor at Nome Elementary. The bulk of that million would go toward replacing the high school’s electrical and generator system.

“This is how the electricity gets from the pole to the building. It’s 37 years old,” said School Board President Betsy Brennan, “and needs to be replaced.”

But even with the relatively modest proposals, Representative Foster and Senator Olson agreed that lawmakers face a dire funding situation in Juneau come January.

Rep. Neal Foster, left, and Sen. Donny Olson during a discussion of legislative priorities with the City Council and the public.

The price for a barrel of oil has fallen off a cliff in the last four months: from over $100 per barrel in August, to prices in the mid-$60 as of this week. More than 90 percent of state funding comes from revenues on every barrel of oil, and the precipitous price drop means hundreds of millions of dollars the state expected to be in the bank simply won’t be.

“That’s projected to create a budget deficit of [the] neighborhood of $3 billion just over the next year,” Foster said.

He said that leaves few options: trim budgets, cut projects, and reduce state services, or pursue new taxes that he said are sure to be unpopular.

“Other options, you’ve got sales taxes, income taxes. Nobody likes either of those, but those are on the table,” Foster said. “Permanent funds, you could either stop paying dividends or you could cap permanent funds. It would be very, very unpopular, but there’s quite a bit of money there. But, you know, this is just one of those things that nobody wants to touch but, five years, what are we going to be talking about then?”

Senator Olson sounded a more optimistic note. With Bill Walker and Byron Mallott in office, Olson expects a reorientation when it comes to critical issues in the bush.

“With this new governor, it’s like a breath of fresh air. We’re going to get new commissioners, new deputy commissioners, at least have that opportunity for people that are more able to listen to us, not going to be fighting against the same bureaucrats that we’ve been fighting against.”

The Nome City Council will make final decisions on the city’s priorities in Juneau at their meeting Monday, Dec. 8.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/12/05/nome-lays-out-juneau-priorities-as-oil-prices-paint-grim-financial-picture/feed/113361Foster, Olson Outline Priorities, Changes for Upcoming Legislative Sessionhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/24/foster-olson-outline-priorities-changes-for-upcoming-legislative-session/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/24/foster-olson-outline-priorities-changes-for-upcoming-legislative-session/#commentsMon, 24 Nov 2014 21:28:49 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=13155Foster looks to his seat on the Transportation committee and his ties to the House majority; Olson won’t be caucusing with the Senator Majority, but will keep key seat on Finance committee.]]>http://www.knom.org/wp-audio/2014/11/2014-11-24-Olson-Foster-Juneau.mp3

Lawmakers will return to Juneau in less than two months, and for the Bering Strait and Norton Sound region, Senator Donny Olson and Representative Neal Foster are setting priorities for the coming legislative session.

Representative Neal Foster, who handily won reelection earlier this month, has not been idle in the lead up to January’s session: he recently finished a visit to Puerto Rico to see uniform factories owned by Sitnasauk Native Corporation, “and then I went straight from there to Phoenix, to do an Iron Man triathlon.”

Foster will be co-chairing the House Transportation committee, and we will be one of four Democrats caucusing with the Republican majority this year; both are positions he said will help projects and priorities for the region.

“When you’re in the majority, you have a much, much better chance of getting legislation through that’s beneficial for our district,” he said Friday, “as well as to blocking legislation that might be harmful to rural Alaska.”

One such item that Foster said he fears could be harmful is a potential raid of the Power Cost Equalization fund, a $957 million fund that helps provide affordable energy in otherwise high-cost parts of the state. Foster said he worries that money could be too tempting for some lawmakers to leave alone.

“If you put up a dam or a pipeline to serve the folks along the rail belt, those are assets you can’t take down. You can’t raid that. Whereas Power Cost Equalization, if you have a billion dollars in a fund, and all of a sudden the state is in deficit spending—like we are now—at some point down the road, does that become vulnerable?”

Foster’s solution is to turn liquid cash into permanent bush infrastructure, including bolstering existing wind farms to initiating natural gas development through small-scale and noncommercial projects to meet local needs. Regional or even community nonprofit drilling programs could work with the state to make it happen, he said.

“The first step in doing that is, you need to be able to drill for that, and there’s been talk … what if the state purchased a portable drill rig? Where you could bring it into these small communities, get the natural gas exploration holes done? If that was successful, that would help the local community, and from there you just move that portable drill rig to the next site.”

Senator Donny Olson has been been staying busy before the session too—flying a Learjet for medevacs in Barrow, what he calls “the pinnacle” of his aviation career—but while Foster is relying on his ties to the House majority, Olson won’t be caucusing with the Senator Majority this year. He’s been replaced in the 15-member group by Bethel Democrat Lyman Hoffman. Losing that connection to the majority isn’t ideal, Olson said, but he will retains his influential place on the Senate’s finance committee, one he’s held for the last 14 years.

“It would have been better to be in the majority,” he said on the phone from Barrow, “but that’s not the end of the world. I’m still there at the table where the money’s being spent.”

Spending will be a major focus of lawmakers this session, with hundreds of millions in deficit spending and more than a billion dollars in deficits projected in 2015, depending on how oil revenues are impacted by oil prices. Olson said painful cuts could be coming.

“When you have a budget deficit that’s been going on, that’s what’s really going to go ahead and affect us, as far as social programs, as far as education, health programs,” he said. “So that’s where you’re going to see the big cuts that are out there.”

Both Foster and Olson said they’re looking to governor-elect Bill Walker and lieutenant governor-elect Byron Mallott to focus on rural needs heading into the next legislative session, and to mitigate any cuts as much as possible.

“The real light at the end of the tunnel may be … Bill Walker and Byron Mallott there on the third floor. They’re much more rural oriented,” Olson said.

“I am very optimistic that we’re going to see a lot more of a rural emphasis,” Foster added.

The 29th Alaska Legislature begins in Juneau Tuesday, Jan. 20.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/24/foster-olson-outline-priorities-changes-for-upcoming-legislative-session/feed/113155Walker, Sullivan Claim Final Victory in Electionhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/18/walker-sullivan-claim-final-victory-in-election/
Tue, 18 Nov 2014 21:17:49 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=13027Concessions from opponents over the past few days means Bill Walker will take the governor's job, while Dan Sullivan will take one of Alaska's Senate seats in Washington.]]>

The long 2014 election season looks to finally be over after the last contested race ended late Monday with Senator Mark Begich’s concession to his opponent, Republican Dan Sullivan.

In a concession statement posted on his campaign website, Begich encouraged Sullivan to adopt a bipartisan resolve in the Senate, stressing the need to work toward a “strong and prosperous rural Alaska.”

The concession followed Governor Sean Parnell’s ceding the governor’s race to independent challenger Bill Walker over the weekend. In a post on his Facebook page, Parnell said continued counting of votes by the Division of Elections made it “clear that while a win for the Parnell-Sullivan ticket was numerically possible, it is highly improbable.” With the swearing-in for the Alaska governor-elect set for Dec. 1, Parnell said “he deemed it in Alaskans’ interest to begin coordinating transition activities now with the Walker-Mallott ticket.”

The final outstanding ballots will be counted by the end of this week. The election should be certified by the end of the month.

]]>13027Election 2014: How Did Western Alaska Vote?http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/05/election-2014-western-alaska-chooses-walker-begich-young-and-yes-on-marijuana/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/05/election-2014-western-alaska-chooses-walker-begich-young-and-yes-on-marijuana/#commentsWed, 05 Nov 2014 18:31:26 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=12783Voters in western Alaska bucked state trends in some races, but gave more decisive returns in others.]]>

As final counts in Alaska’s election move closer, the results were often similar but amplified in western Alaska—but in one major race, the candidates favored by voters failed statewide.

Despite the Begich support, Sullivan still maintains a roughly 8,000 vote lead over Beigch statewide.

House District 39, covering the Bering Strait/Norton Sound. Image: Alaska Division of Elections.

But in other races, western Alaska voters more or less followed statewide voting trends, and in many cases, the votes were more decisive. Turnout was higher, as well, with just under 49 percent of voters making it to the polls (the statewide average was below 45 percent).

The “yes” vote on legal marijuana was stronger in western Alaska than elsewhere in the state. Of the approximately 5,000 ballots cast for the issue, 57 percent went to legalizing the drug, with 43 percent voting against. That compares to a much closer split statewide, which saw the “yes” vote take about 52 percent in favor to 48 percent opposed. The vote was similar in Nome, with 525 votes “yes” and 406 votes “no,” meaning 56 percent cast ballots in favor of legalizing the drug with 43 percent against.

The Bill Walker and Byron Mallott “unity” ticket for governor saw more support in western Alaska, with the unaffiliated ticket taking about 54 percent of the vote, compared to less than 48 percent statewide. The Republican ticket of Sean Parnell and Dan Sullivan, by contrast, took about 36 percent of voters in the western half of the state, compared to 46 percent statewide.

Local fisherman Eric Osborn reflected that regional preference.

“I voted for Walker and Mallott,” he said. “I really hope we retire Mr. Parnell and get to a more open and democratic administration in Juneau.”

The minimum wage initiative, Ballot Measure 3, saw a landslide victory in western Alaska, with 88 percent of voters choosing “yes” to increase the wage by a dollar per year over the next two years.

In the vote for House, western Alaskans more strongly favored reelecting Don Young, giving him nearly 62 percent of the vote, compared to 52 percent statewide. That left Democratic challenger Forrest Dunbar collecting fewer votes in the region, taking just 33 percent of the vote; statewide, Dunbar took 40 percent.

Ballot Measure 4, the vote to put the Bristol Bay salmon watershed behind legislative approval of any mining interest, was tighter in the west than elsewhere. The vote was a solid 60/40 “yes/no” split, slightly closer than the statewide 65/35 “yes/no” split. Nome resident John Schneider voted “yes.”

“I think Bristol Bay needs to be protected. I’m not particularly in favor of government control of independent business, but this is a big deal because if Bristol Bay is contaminated it’s going to have massive effects on the lifestyle of many of our people in Alaska, and Alaska in general.”

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region saw similar support for Begich, if slightly stronger support for Sullivan: Begich took an equal 70 percent of the vote, with Sullivan taking 25 percent, slightly more than his Bering Strait share. But voters in the YK region were a mirror when it came to the statewide marijuana vote, rejecting the legalization effort with 57 percent voting “no” to just 48 percent voting yes. (Flipping the numbers more closely matches the 52 percent “yes” vote that carried the state.)

After a long and expensive election season, Nome’s Raymond Paniataaq echoed the sentiments of many when he said he was happy it was all finally over.

“I’m glad the mud slinging is over between all the candidates,” he said, “and now hopefully all the weird phone calls from back east or wherever is over with.”

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/05/election-2014-western-alaska-chooses-walker-begich-young-and-yes-on-marijuana/feed/312783Election 2014: Unofficial Results Put Walker, Sullivan in the Leadhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/04/election-2014/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/04/election-2014/#commentsWed, 05 Nov 2014 06:00:46 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=12745Polls across Alaska closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday and while results are still unofficial the big winners appear to be Walker, Sullivan and marijuana.]]>

Alaskans Are waking up to election results Wednesday morning, and while results of state’s general election and the U.S. midterm election are still unofficial, the big winners appear to be Bill Walker, Dan Sullivan and marijuana.

With 100 percent of Alaska’s 441 precincts reporting in, the hotly contested governor’s race has the unaffiliated “unity ticket” of Bill Walker and Byron Mallott holding a slim lead over the reelection bid of Sean Parnell and his running mate, Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan. The two are separated by just 3,100 votes — slightly more than 1 percent of the vote. The Libertarian ticket of Carolyn Clift and Andrew C. Lee has 3 percent of the vote.

If Walker and Mallott maintain their lead, they would make history as the first unaffiliated ticket to take the governorship in state history.

In the race for U.S. Senate, Republican Dan Sullivan appears to heave unseated incumbent Democrat Mark Begich, with the former Alaska Attorney General ahead by about 8,000 votes — pulling 48.74 percent of votes to Begich’s to 45.13 percent. Libertarian candidate Mark Fish has 3.7 percent of votes. Begich has not conceded as of this morning.

The Senate race was the costliest campaign in the state’s history, with more than 50 million dollars spent by the two major candidates and their supporters.

Republican Don Young holds a substantive lead over Democrat Forrest Dunbar in the race of U.S. House. Young has just over 51 percent of the vote to Dunbar’s 40.4 percent, a spread of about 25,000 votes. Young’s last challenger for the U.S. House, 2008 Democratic challenger Sharon Cissna, took just 28 percent of the vote that year. Other candidates in the race include Libertarian candidate Jim McDermott, who has 7.5 percent of the vote.

The “yes” vote carried for all three ballot measures. Image: David Dodman, KNOM.

For the three ballot measures so far, it’s a narrow “yes” win on Ballot Measure 2, with fewer than 10 thousand votes in favor of legalizing the use, sale, and cultivation of marijuana in the state for adults over age 21.

Ballot Measure 3 would increase Alaska’s minimum wage (currently $7.75/hour) by one dollar per year for the next two years and then adjust the wage to account for inflation. A vote of “yes” to increase the minimum wage is in the lead with 68.8 percent while the “no” vote is trailing behind at 31.2 percent.

And Ballot Measure 4, which would require large-scale mining development in Bristol Bay to seek the state legislature’s approval, is also seeing a notable split. The “yes” vote is leading at 65.3 percent, and the vote “no” against this legislative approval is at 34.7 percent.

Many of the races for state House and Senate saw rural Democrats run unopposed in their bids for reelection.

In House District 39, Neal Foster is almost assured of another term, taking 97.9 percent of votes in the district that makes up the bulk of the Bering Strait/Norton Sound region. Unopposed for his house seat, write-in candidates took about 2 percent of the vote.

In the state Senate, Donny Olson likewise saw reelection, taking 97.9 percent of the votes in a an area that covers House District 39 as well as the massive North Slope (House District 40). Write-ins just over 2 percent in Olson’s bid for reelection, which was also unopposed.

Elsewhere in northwest Alaska, Barrow’s Ben Nageak, a Democrat also running unopposed for another term in the state House for House District 40, is likewise nearly assured of reelection with 97.2 percent of the vote.

In Southwest Alaska, Senator Lyman Hoffman was another Democrat that ran unopposed in his reelection bid, which he won handily, collecting 96.2 percent of the vote in Senate District S. Likewise, Rep. Bob Herron is also assured of reelection, with the Bethel democrat taking 97 percent of votes in his uncontested reelection bid.

In Nome, the Old St. Joe’s polling station closed with 955 ballots cast, a number that does not include early and absentee voters, nor voters who cast a ballot at the state’s elections office on Front Street.

Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai said, as of Monday, 20,577 early votes were cast. The Division of Elections has received “over 30,000” absentee ballots statewide, she added.

Fenumiai said more than 19,000 early ballots, and an additional 10,000 absentee ballots were counted last night. She said early votes from the Bering Strait/Norton Sound region (House District 39) are among those early votes.

The remainder of early and absentee ballots will be counted, she stressed, but safeguards to ensure the vote integrity are delaying their count until other precincts report in to avoid, among other issues, double voting.

Results are still unofficial, as are estimates of voter turnout — which as of this morning lie somewhere around 45 percent.

KNOM’s Jenn Ruckel, Francesca Fenzi, and David Dodman contributed to this story.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/04/election-2014/feed/212745Election 2014: Alaskans to Vote on State and National Races, Ballot Measureshttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/04/election-2014-alaskans-to-vote-on-state-and-national-races-ballot-measures/
Tue, 04 Nov 2014 19:49:38 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=12719Voters will decide on state lawmakers, governor, a U.S. Senator, Alaska's only U.S. House rep, and on three ballot initiatives ranging from marijuana to minimum wage.]]>

Alaskans head to the polls today, Nov. 4, to vote on several races for state and national office—as well as three major ballot questions ranging from legal marijuana to minimum wage.

Polls open statewide at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

At the state level, beyond various races in the state House and Senate, Alaskans will decide on the governor’s race.

Sean Parnell is seeking reelection as governor with running mate Dan Sullivan, the current mayor of Anchorage, as his lieutenant governor.

Opponents in the race include the high-profile unaffiliated ticket of independent candidate Bill Walker and his running mate, Democrat Byron Mallott. The two fused their campaigns several months ago and are running on a single ticket. Also seeking the governor’s job are Libertarian candidates Carolyn Clift and her running mate, Nome’s own Andrew C. Lee.

Nationally, seats in both he U.S. House and Senate are on the ballot.

In the U.S. Senate, Democrat Mark Begich seeks reelection against Republican challenger Dan Sullivan. Mark Fish is running as a Libertarian. There are no fewer than five other declared candidates across a variety of political affiliations.

For the U.S. House, longtime Republican Representative Don Young seeks his 22nd term, facing Democratic newcomer Forrest Dunbar and Libertarian candidate Jim McDermott. Several other candidates have also filed as well.

Outside the big questions of “who,” voters will also face three big questions of “yes” or “no” on major ballot initiatives.

Ballot Measure 2 asks voters to approve or reject a batch of new laws that would legalize the use, sale, and cultivation of marijuana in Alaska for adults over the age of 21. Ballot Measure 3 seeks to increase Alaska’s minimum wage—currently $7.75 an hour—by a dollar per year for the next two years, and keep the wage rising with inflation. Ballot Measure 4—if passed—would require any kind of mining interest in Bristol Bay to seek the state legislature’s approval before moving forward.

In House District 39—covering much of the Bering Strait and Norton Sound—Democratic incumbent Neal Foster is running unopposed. Similarly, Senate District T has Democrat Donny Olson, also seeking reelection and also running unopposed.

KNOM will have live results on the air at 10 p.m. tonight, as well as updates online as they become available.